According to US media insiders, Russia is threatening to withdraw its accreditation if the treatment of Russian journalists in the United States does not improve. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova threatened countermeasures should Russian reporters not be able to work freely in the US, say three insiders with knowledge of Zakharova’s meeting with US media in Moscow.
If the situation does not change, US journalists would have to leave the country. Zakharova did not respond to a request for official comment. According to the RIA agency, representatives from the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Associated Press, NPR and Alhurra TV attended the meeting. Initially, there were no comments from the US media. Some western media left Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. Others, including the Reuters news agency, stayed in the country and continue to report from there.